海角大神

Turkish warplanes carried out airstrikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq on Sunday following a suicide attack on a government building in the Turkish capital, Turkey鈥檚 defense ministry announced.

Some 20 targets of the Kurdistan Workers鈥� Party, or PKK, were 鈥渄estroyed鈥� in the latest aerial operation, including caves, shelters, and depots, the ministry said, adding that a large number of PKK operatives were 鈥渘eutralized鈥� in the strikes.

Earlier on Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near an entrance of the Interior Ministry, wounding two police officers. A second assailant was killed in a shootout with police.

The PKK, which maintains bases in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, according to a news agency close to the rebel group. Turkey鈥檚 Interior Ministry also identified one of the assailants as a member of the outlawed group. It said efforts were still underway to identify the second attacker.

The attack happened hours before Turkey鈥檚 Parliament reopened after its three-month summer recess with an address by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The two assailants arrived at the scene inside a light commercial vehicle, which they seized from a veterinarian in the central province of Kayseri, according to the Interior Ministry, and drove to Ankara, roughly 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.

鈥淥ur heroic police officers, through their intuition, resisted the terrorists as soon as they got out of the vehicle,鈥� Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters.聽

Mr. Yerlikaya added that one of the bombers was killed before he had a chance to detonate his explosives.

鈥淥ur fight against terrorism, their collaborators, the [drug] dealers, gangs, and organized crime organizations will continue with determination,鈥� he said.

Police found plastic explosives, hand grenades, and a rocket launcher at the scene, a ministry statement said.

Mr. Erdogan gave his speech in Parliament as planned and called the attack 鈥渢he last stand of terrorism.鈥�

鈥淭he scoundrels who targeted the peace and security of the citizens could not achieve their goals and they never will,鈥� he said.

The president reiterated his government鈥檚 aim to create a 30-kilometer (20 mile) safe zone along Turkey鈥檚 border with Syria to secure its southern border from attacks.

Turkey has conducted numerous cross-border offensives against the PKK in northern Iraq. It has also launched incursions into northern Syria since 2016 to drive away the Islamic State group and a Kurdish militia group, known by the initials YPG, and controls swaths of territory in the area.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK. The PKK, which is listed as a terror group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency against Turkey since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict.

Last year, a bomb blast in a bustling pedestrian street in Istanbul left six people dead, including two children. More than 80 others were wounded. Turkey blamed the attack on the PKK and the YPG.

Security camera footage on Sunday showed the vehicle stopping in front of the Interior Ministry, with a man exiting it and rushing toward the entrance of the building before blowing himself up. A second man is seen following him.

Earlier, television footage showed bomb squads working near a vehicle in the area, which is located near the Turkish Grand National Assembly and other government buildings. A rocket launcher could be seen lying near the vehicle.

Turkish authorities later imposed a temporary blackout on images from the scene.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the 鈥渢error attack.鈥�

鈥淭hese attacks will in no way hinder Turkey鈥檚 fight against terrorism,鈥� he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 鈥淥ur fight against terrorism will continue with more determination.鈥�

Police cordoned off access to the city center and increased security measures, warning citizens that they would be conducting controlled explosions of suspicious packages.

The two police officers were being treated in a hospital and were not in serious condition, Mr. Yerlikaya said.

Egypt, which has normalized ties with Turkey after a decade of tensions, condemned the attack. A terse statement from the Foreign Ministry offered Egypt鈥檚 solidarity with Turkey.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara and other foreign missions also issued messages condemning the attack.

Mr. Erdogan in his speech did not provide any indication as to when Turkey鈥檚 parliament may ratify Sweden鈥檚 membership in NATO.

Stockholm applied for NATO membership alongside Finland following Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine last year. While Finland has since joined, Turkey blocked Sweden鈥檚 membership in the military alliance, accusing it of not doing enough to tackle groups like PKK from operating on its soil. In a posting on X, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Stockholm 鈥渟trongly condemns today鈥檚 terrorist attack in Ankara.鈥�

鈥淲e reaffirm our commitment to long-term cooperation with T眉rkiye in combating terrorism and wish for quick and full recovery of the ones injured,鈥� he wrote, using the Turkish government鈥檚 preferred spelling for the country.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Cinar Kiper in Bodrum, Turkey, Robert Badendieck in Istanbul, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Finland contributed.